Beauty Solutions

Toting Toiletries for Travel

image by Prabhu B

It feels like everyone I know is traveling somewhere for a vacation. I know it’s not really everyone. It just feels like it, because I’m not headed somewhere and I don’t have anything planned at the moment. But I could definitely go for a change of scenery so a getaway, even if it’s just an inexpensive overnighter, is in order.

Recently, I went on a quest to find the perfect toiletry tote for my travels. I found that it was harder than I expected. But after a good amount of searching, I made some very cool discoveries. As you can imagine, I have a lot of toiletries that I tote along on trips. I would be embarrassed to count how many things I travel with.

Time to Get Organized

I found that I might have three bottles of shampoo and a shortage of toothpaste.

On my last vacation over the holidays, I decided that I needed to get better organized with my toiletries. I was using a big bag that I’d gotten with a holiday set from Clarins years ago. I noticed that I was taking along more than I needed and not enough of some things, because I couldn’t really see what I had. If I got a cute, new travel goodie, I’d just shove that in. I found that I might have three bottles of shampoo and a shortage of toothpaste. It was time to travel smarter.

I came across a million toiletry bags (OK, maybe I’m exaggerating a little). After searching around for a couple hours (yes, hours), I realized I needed to get focused. I figured out that a hanging bag with clear pockets made the most sense. It would get me organized by allowing me to see and easily access my beauty goods. Then I found that most of these kinds of bags were ugly, in my opinion. Most looked like something a man in a suit would use. I wanted something more feminine. But most of the cute bags weren’t very practical.

A Fruitful Search

I was determined though, so after a whole lotta web surfing, I came across some excellent finds and requested samples to see if they would really meet my needs. I found a practical hanging tote with personality, a chic, smartly designed overnighter that negated the need for a bag specifically for toiletries, a beauty bag that can keep my eco-friendly products fresh and cosmetics unmelted, and an unexpected bonus: a fabulous innovation that makes it very easy to access just about everything I need when traveling by plane or car. Here’s the lowdown on what I found, followed by a video so you can get a better look at the features of each bag

The Practical Toiletry Bag with Personality

The Dakine Diva is such a great bag – a hanging toiletry bag that’s a good size for holding lots of toiletries without being so big that it takes up too much space in my suitcase. It has a sturdy hook and plenty of pockets that I can see through so I can easily keep track of everything. There’s also a large space that can hold full-size products. The canvas bag goes beyond basic black and comes in a variety of colors and patterns. I love that the bag I checked out (Duxbury Stripe) has a pink polka dot pattern on the inside – very cute touch. The Diva is available from a variety of online shops like backcountry.com and reefgear.com ($29.95).

The Chic Overnighter Fit for a Lady

I was delighted when I came across the Brookstone Rolling Organizer. A lot of their travel bags seem geared for a business man. But this bag stood out. Its quilted design gives it a feminine touch. It comes in the usual black but also in khaki and a very pretty red, which I really like. It’s also way better than most overnighters. I wish more luggage was designed like this. There’s no need for a toiletry bag with this, because it’s really well-designed with lots of good-sized, strategically placed pockets that accommodate plenty of beauty products and leave enough room for the clothes and such. It’s perfect for an overnight or weekend trip or as an airplane carry-on. Available at Brookstone stores and on their website, and at amazon.com ($99.95).

The Beauty Bag That Keeps It Fresh

I love my eco-friendly beauty products. But without heavy-duty preservatives, they just don’t last as long. And lipsticks and balms are simply prone to melt in hot weather. The IcyBag keeps everything fresh with its insulated lining and compact, gel ice pack. This is really good to have when beauty goods have to sit in a car or get checked in on a plane, which is highly likely since we can take so few toiletries and cosmetics on board now. Trunks and airplane cargo areas can get amazingly hot in warm weather – melting lipsticks and promoting the growth of bacteria. IcyBag is made of water-resistant, rip-stop nylon, includes an airplane-certified, three-ounce freezer gel pack, and is available in pink/tan, turquoise/black, and black. They’re available directly from IcyBag and at sites like amazon.com ($15-20).

The Innovator

The Zen Class Nirvana Organizer is such a brilliant innovation. It’s a seatback organizer and travel bag. They really thought this out well and came up with an ideal solution for accessing personal items easily in that tiny space the airlines give us when we travel on a plane – a space that seems to be getting smaller every time I travel. It fits lots of things like my laptop, iPod, phone, a bottle of water, a magazine or book, and some beauty goods to prevent my skin from drying out in the super dry, airplane air.

The bag hangs over the seat tray. It’s compact enough for aisle-mates to get by and sturdy enough to hold up to people brushing against it. You can also hang it over a car seat or baby stroller to stay organized when you’re on the ground. Such a smart, wonderfully executed idea. Available in black and brown directly from Zen Class and on sites like amazon.com ($39.99).

Check ‘em Out

I packed up these bags with the stuff I typically travel with and shot a little video so you can see just what they’re like.

Do Tell

What kinds of things do you haul along for trips? What do you use to tote your toiletries? Have any tips? Are you concerned about how to travel with more natural beauty products and meltable makeup? Have you gone on vacation or do you have a trip in the works?

P.S. Check out our regularly updated Beauty Resources page for some amazing beauty deals from sites like amazon.com, beauty.com, and spalook.com.

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